Ottolenghi/Tamimi Inspired Zucchini Baba Ghanoush

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Every once in a while, something comes your way and you just know it's going to be in your life for a long time. You can't remember what life was like before it came along and you can't bare to imagine life with out it.

If you haven't learned of my hyperbolic tendencies already, now is when you do. I know I sound dramatic but I'm really being quite genuine when I say it was love at first sight, at least for me.

It happened when I was going through The New Testament of my Bible (AKA Ottolenghi and Tamimi's Plenty More) when I saw it, Zucchini Baba Ghanoush. It was perfect (looking) and I had to have it there and then; I rushed to my refrigerator to check off the required ingredients. For the most part, I had them, so there my adventure to tasting one of the best dips/spreads(/drinks) I'd ever had started. It's made with this chilli butter that you cook the pine nuts in and I swear I could drink that stuff, or at least bottle it and sell it.

Of course, being me I couldn't help but not really follow the recipe but it certainly inspired me to discover something so simple and delicious it might just be my new best friend go-to dish.

Ottolenghi/Tamimi Inspired

Zucchini Baba Ghanoush

Serves 4

YOU WILL NEED:

3-4 ZUCCHINI/COURGETTE

1 CLOVE GARLIC, CRUSHED

1 TSP OLIVE OIL

A PINCH OF SALT AND PEPPER

FOR THE CHILLI BUTTER:

2 TBSP BUTTER

1/2 TSP CHILLI FLAKES

1/2 TSP LEMON JUICE2 TBSP PINE NUTS

FOR DRESSING:

1/4 CUP GREEK OR NATURAL YOGHURT

2 TBSP TAHINI PASTE

1 TBSP LEMON JUICE

1 TBSP WATER

1 TBSP POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

HANDFUL OF CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY

Start by putting the oven on grill or broil mode (grill for UK, broil for USA).

Place the whole zucchini on a baking tray and grill for 40-45 minutes until crisp and blackened out the outside, turning half way through cooking.

While the zucchini is in the oven, make the chilli butter. Melt the butter in a pan, add the pine nuts and cook for 2-3 minutes. Do not let the pine nuts brown too much or they will become bitter. Add the chilli flakes and lemon juice and let sit until needed.

Make the dressing in a food processor (or by hand if you prefer) by blending the yoghurt, tahini paste, lemon juice and water until smooth. You may need to scrape the sides of the processor down once or twice. Add a little more lemon juice or water if you'd like it a little smoother.

Once the zucchini is cooked and cooled, remove their skins. (They should peel off very easily). Scoop out the insides of the zucchini into a colander to discard all of the excess liquid.

Mash the garlic and zucchini together with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Put the zucchini mixture on a plate and top with the tahini yoghurt, the chilli pine nut butter, drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with the parsley.